Nov 01, 2012

New test to improve HIV diagnosis in poor countries

(Reuters) - Scientists have come up with a test for the virus that causes AIDS that is ten times more sensitive and a fraction of the cost of existing methods, offering the promise of better diagnosis and treatment in the developing world.

The test uses nanotechnology to give a result that can be seen with the naked eye by turning a sample red or blue, according to research from scientists at Imperial College in London published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

"Our approach affords for improved sensitivity,
does not require sophisticated instrumentation and it is ten times
cheaper," Molly Stevens, who led the research, told Reuters. ...

... The test could also be reconfigured to detect
other diseases, such as sepsis, Leishmaniasis, Tuberculosis and malaria,
Stevens said.

Testing is not only crucial in picking up the HIV virus early but also for monitoring the effectiveness of treatments. ...

The new sensor works by testing serum, a clear
watery fluid derived from blood samples, in a disposable container for
the presence of an HIV biomarker called p24.

If
p24 is present, even in minute concentrations, it causes the tiny gold
nanoparticles to clump together in an irregular pattern that turns the
solution blue. A negative result separates them into ball shapes that
generate a red color. ...